Okato is a small township in rural Taranaki, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. The population was 531 in the 2006 Census

New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings

The New Zealand government department Statistics New Zealand conducts a census of population and dwellings every five years. The census scheduled for 2011 was cancelled due to circumstances surrounding the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, however, and legislation introduced to hold the next...

, an increase of 12 from 2001. It is situated about 25 minutes drive around the coast from New Plymouth

New Plymouth

New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....

 on State Highway 45

New Zealand State Highway network

The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...

. Oakura

Oakura

Oakura is a small township in Taranaki, in the western North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 45, 15 kilometres south-west of New Plymouth. Okato is 12 km further south-west. The Oakura River flows past the town and into the North Taranaki Bight...

 is 12 km to the north-east, and Warea

Warea

Warea is a community in the west of Taranaki, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 45, 26 kilometres north of Opunake.-References:...

 is 9 km to the south-west. The place offers popular rocky surfing spots around coastal beaches. Okato has a rich art community, with names like Dale Copeland, Alby Carter, Graham Kirk, Peter Lambert, Waldo, Paul Hutchinson and many others being from there.

Okato has all the elements of a New Zealand rural community with sporting facilities (rugby grounds, bowling club, squash courts, tennis courts and swimming pool), Coastal Taranaki School

Coastal Taranaki School

Coastal Taranaki School is a rural area school located in Okato, Taranaki, New Zealand. Established in 2005, the school formed through the merger of a number of small primary schools and Okato College. As an area school, Coastal Taranaki School caters for the educational needs of students year...

, a police station, and a volunteer fire brigade.

Okato was also notable as the home of Okato Cheese which was manufactured by the Okato Co-operative Dairy Company. This manufacturing site closed some years after merging with Egmont Co-operative Dairy.

Activities in the Okato area include the Stony River

Hangatahua River

The Hangatahua River, alternatively known as the Stony River, is a river of the Taranaki Region of New Zealand. It is one of the larger of the numerous rivers and streams which drain the slopes of Mount Taranaki, receiving water from streams covering most of the northwest sector of the mountain...

 walkway which affords a number of locations from which to take photos of Mt Taranaki.

Education

Coastal Taranaki School

Coastal Taranaki School

Coastal Taranaki School is a rural area school located in Okato, Taranaki, New Zealand. Established in 2005, the school formed through the merger of a number of small primary schools and Okato College. As an area school, Coastal Taranaki School caters for the educational needs of students year...

 is a coeducational composite (years 1-15) school with a decile rating

Socio-Economic Decile

Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....

 of 5 and a roll of 311. The school was formed in 2005 from the merger of Newall School, Okato Primary School, Okato College and Warea School. It was initially called Okato Area School but changed its name.

New Zealand wars

• The diaries of the local farmer Alexander Cassie are held at Access to them is restricted, but they contain the reminiscences of veterans of the New Zealand Wars
  First Taranaki War
  The First Taranaki War was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori and the New Zealand Government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand's North Island from March 1860 to March 1861....
  
   and the Parihaka
  Parihaka
  Parihaka is a small community in Taranaki Region, New Zealand, located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. In the 1870s and 1880s the settlement, then reputed to be the largest Māori village in New Zealand, became the centre of a major campaign of non-violent resistance to European...
  
  incident. See
  

  People

  • The diaries of the local farmer Alexander Cassie are held at Access to them is restricted, but they contain childhood reminiscences and incidents from the 1910s. See
    
    • The papers of the local historian and farmer Marc Voullaire are held at . This collection contains research carried out on the Taranaki dairy industry, the missionary station of Johann Riemenschneider (and other matters), and can be seen at
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